As the 2012 presidential election draws near, the presidents of the College Democrats and Republicans groups at Ohio State are starting to prepare their organizations.
Mallory Kimble, president of College Democrats, and Drew Stroemple, president of College Republicans, have begun focusing their efforts on promoting each of their candidates for president.
Kimble said College Democrats’ main focus is to get President Barack Obama re-elected. Stroemple and his organization have thrown their support behind Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who Stroemple said is the “statistical favorite to win the presidency.”
Both Kimble and Stroemple said part of their strategy is to get students registered to vote, talk to them about the issues and urge them to get involved in a campaign.
“We are sitting in the biggest swing state in the country, in the biggest city on the biggest campus,” Stroemple said. “We are going to be the hub of politics for the country.”
Kimble and Stroemple are both juniors who rose through the ranks of their organizations quickly.
Within a few months of first joining the College Democrats, Kimble was elected secretary – a position she held until April 3, the day she was elected president.
Stroemple ran unopposed for his current position back in January 2011 and has served as president ever since.
“I think Drew is a wonderful president,” said Nicole Tarr, a second-year in political science and member of the College Republicans’ executive board. “He is extremely high energy and he has really great plans for 2012 to take back the White House.”
Members of College Democrats also hold a high regard for their president.
“(Mallory) is very organized and has a clear vision for what the organization needs to accomplish,” said Kenny Myers, a fourth-year in international studies and member of College Democrats. “Her organizational skills will be an asset to us.”
Along with being secretary and now president of College Democrats, Kimble was also a campus organizer against Issue 2, which would have restricted the collective bargaining rights for public workers.
“Much like someone who would urge people to vote for a particular candidate, I urged people to vote ‘no’ on an issue,” she said.
Kimble and College Democrats helped repeal Issue 2.
No matter what the result of the election in November, Stroemple and Kimble both agree that their organizations are making a difference in city, state and national politics.
